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DOWN CYCLE
Turning waste into warmth.
What is DOWN CYCLE?
DOWN CYCLE is part of our commitment to giving used down a second life. It began in 2017 with the introduction of 100% post-consumer recycled down into our Earthrise range of clothing.
When a garment or sleeping bag reaches the end of its usable life, we can take it back and, with specialist partners, carefully recover, renew, and re-grade the down for reuse. This process keeps valuable materials in circulation and ensures they are handled responsibly rather than wasted.
Our recycled down
The recycled down we use comes from post-consumer goods - unwanted clothing and bedding collected by waste recycling companies. All of the recycled down we use is guaranteed to be a minimum 85/15 700 fill power.
How is down recycled?
- Down clothing, bedding and upholstery is collected.
- The down is separated from any other textile fabrics - this is then chopped and processed to be used in non-woven recycled insulation.
- The down is then separated into down cluster and feather - broken feathers and damaged clusters makes its way into organic fertiliser.
- The down is washed at 135°C, sterilised to kill 99% of all microbes, and dried.
Only a small percentage of the very highest quality and fill power recycled down makes its way into our products; the remainder is used for other items, such as domestic bedding.
Closing the loop: Creating a community-led, down recycling initiative
Our journey began in 2019 with a collaboration between Mountain Equipment, the youth organisation of the German Alpine Club (JDAV), and Re:Down to celebrate JDAV's 100th anniversary.
Fifteen youth groups across Germany participated in a campaign to collect used down, resulting in nearly 3 tonnes of clothing and bedding sent to our headquarters near Munich. This effort aimed to recycle some of the down into exclusive Earthrise Vests, while also providing €5000 in funding and free equipment for youth work.
Additionally, we discovered valuable items, including a historic down jacket from an early DAV expedition. Ultimately, 126kg of high-quality down was reprocessed for use in new clothing.
What’s next?
Though establishing a recycling initiative required effort, even on a small scale, it has shown what is possible. To scale this project, we need to encourage more people to recycle for the right reasons. Ultimately, we want to create a closed-loop system that allows us to collect enough of our own products to meet our needs for recycled down material.
Returning your down to us
If you have a used down product that is beyond repair, we will gladly accept it. Please post to:
DOWN CYCLE
Mountain Equipment/OSC
Unit 1C
East Tame Business Park
Newton
Hyde
SK14 4GX
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Insulation Care Guide
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Our Impact & Responsibility
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Insulated Jacket Collection
